Into This River I Drown

By: TJ Klune

Narrated by: Matt Baca

Length: 18 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Five years ago, Benji Green lost his beloved father Big Eddie when his truck crashed into a river. Everyone called it an accident, but Benji knows it was more. Even years later, he's buried in his grief, throwing himself into managing Big Eddie's convenience store in the small-town of Roseland, Oregon. Surrounded by his mother and three aunts, he lives day to day, struggling to keep his head above water.

But Roseland is no ordinary place.

With ever more frequent dreams of his father's death and waking visions of feathers on the river's surface, Benji finds his definition of reality bending. He thinks himself haunted; by ghosts or memories, he can no longer tell. Not until a man falls from the sky, leaving the burning imprint of wings on the ground, does Benji begin to understand that the world is more mysterious than he ever imagined - and more dangerous. As uncontrollable forces descend on Roseland, they reveal long-hidden truths about friends, family, and the stranger Calliel - a man Benji can no longer live without.

©2013 TJ Klune (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

twist on guardian angels

the rollercoaster of emotions is what this story entails. easy conversational dialogues with each character's. plot and storyline keeps the story moving alone very well. excellent listen

D*mn you TJ!

Klune did it again, idk why I keep reading these books… oh I do, they’re super good, but boy another depressing one. Made me cry a lotttt this time. Great narration and fantastic writing. Would definitely recommend.

For Love, Angels and Sometimes Both

Of all the books I've read from TJ Klune this one was at times the hardest to read. At first, I was a little thrown by the back and forth between past and present but once I settled in and recognized the past voice with the present one it wasn't terrible.

There was also a lot of repetition which upon review in context actually makes sense for the character's viewpoint. It is not repetition for its sake alone but rather a repetition that becomes like an internal mantra connecting past and present in the mind of our MC, Benji.

Benji is a man who is stuck in a sort of loop of grief over the loss of his father, Big Eddie and that loss is so profound that it taints and colors everything in his life. He is unable to move past it and is indeed so haunted by it that it informs every moment of his life. This connection to his father is at once unhealthy and in circumspect understandable as it is this relationship that becomes a sort of metaphor for the father-son relationship between God and his angelic sons. Seen in that way it offers a much more profound understanding of what a son means to his father and vice versa.

Calliel (Cal) is the guardian angel of the town of Roseland, Oregon where Benji lives, and he has spent the better part of two centuries watching over and protecting its inhabitants. While this is at first a fulfilling job for him, over time the disconnect between him, his father and his other brothers offer little in the way of comfort. He is lonely and longs for the sense of belonging and family. He is drawn by the relationship between Big Eddie and Benji and when he is put to the test and has to offer a choice to one of them it puts him at odds with his own father. He begins to question his purpose, to question the why and for an angel that is never a good question to ask.

Ultimately this is a story of faith hidden in a romance and the profound relationship of father and son. You may get aggravated over the angst and the sheer stubbornness Benji exhibits and you will want to reach through your Kindle and smack him but stick it out cuz, in the end, it all makes sense.

Beautiful just Beautiful

I was lost within this story such a wonderful read- TJ Klune writes with his heart and it shows . Matt Baca did such an awesome job with such a smooth and perfect voice voice - perfect - every thing was perfect.

Well Shit!

Sometimes TJ's characters can get so frustrating because they resist growth for as long as possible. In the end I finish living each book. what a magnificent story.

Good start but too long

Loved the character of Cal, but the story is long & too many time jumps are in it. I usually love all of TJ Klune’s books.

Well written, heartbreakingly earnest narration!

Where does Into This River I Drown rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I don't often write book reviews.
I was really hesitant about buying this book as it had no reviews and only a 2 star rating.
Take a chance on this book!
I have a very low tolerance for awkward, amateurish, or self indulgent writing. I couldn't find a single hitch in this imaginative, well realized, and expertly executed story.
Where "In This River I Drown" really shines, though, is the narration. It took only about a minute for the narrater to wrap the story around my heart and squeeze. His voice, off-puttingly childish only for a moment, somehow immersed me in the bittersweet joy of memories, the warmth of families, friends, and loves. I felt like my heart was crushed a few times through the story, felt so much relief I gasped in others, and in some points felt more rage than I've felt toward any story villains I can remember.
This story, and this voice will become a part of you experience, and these characters will become a part of your psyche, and your heart.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kal, without a doubt. His bright love for the world and such seemingly small things was so endearing, and paradoxically he was terrifying in his strength. Beautiful! Nina is a close second, though she seemed a bit like a Stephen King style gimmick (one I've always been fond of, though).

What about Matt Baca’s performance did you like?

Oh my gosh! So many things I could say. I have no idea how he did it, but the earnestness in his voice somehow melted me from the start. The rawness with which he recounts joyful memories just wrenches your heart right in two!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both, but more cry. It's not a sad book. Rather the opposite. It's a book full of such joy and warmth and tenderness that it makes you ache.

Not the best of TJ Klune, but a powerful story

Not the best of TJ Klune, but a powerful story none the less. There were some parts that were hard to get through for some reason and others that captured my rapt attention for hours. Matt Baca was definitely a great choice for a narrator though.

A bit drawn out

This was a beautiful story that gets to the heart of the grief experience. While I loved it overall, I don’t think it needed to be as long as it was, it just got to be surreal about 3/4 of the way through. And maybe some of that would have been fine, it just went on and on.
The narrator lost a star in an otherwise flawless performance for pronouncing “quanTIco” instead of “QUANtico”.

Great listen

A beautiful novel with heartfelt and earnest narration, perfect for the characters. An interesting take on angels and God, spiritual at times but not religious, more of a world-building fantasy lens with themes of love and sacrifice. I enjoyed that the ending felt complete. I kept marveling at how many hours were left, I kept thinking it would end, but then the story just became deeper and more intimate.